Vatican Commission Rejects Proposal to Admit Women as Deacons and Priests

VATICAN CITY: A Vatican commission tasked with examining the possibility of admitting women to the diaconate has issued a report opposing the move, effectively halting further progress on the long-debated question of women serving as deacons or priests. The findings were outlined in a letter released by the Vatican on December 4.

According to the report, seven members of the 10-member commission voted against permitting women to become deacons or priests, while only one member supported the proposal. The positions of the remaining two members were not disclosed in the letter.

The issue has been under study for nearly a decade. The first commission, formed in 2016 to examine the historical role of female deacons in the Church, did not produce a final report. Pope Francis subsequently established a second commission in 2020 to further explore the possibility of women’s ordination.

A special synodal study group also reviewed various ministries within the Church, including the potential for women’s diaconate. However, that group recently concluded its work by deferring the matter entirely to the 2020 commission. Of the 364 members who voted within the synodal process, only 97 supported the idea of ordaining women.

The commission also reviewed public submissions on the subject but received only 22 entries from individuals or groups in a small number of countries.

Cardinal Giuseppe Petrucci, president of the commission, emphasised that the assessment is grounded in Sacred Scripture, Church Tradition, and established magisterial teaching. “This cannot be considered the voice of the Synod, nor can it be considered the voice of the entire People of God,” he noted.

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